Improvement in shoe-fastenings



E. REES. Shoe-Fastening.

No. 20l,l24. Patented March 12,1878.

' ZWeW/ZZM N. PEIERS. PNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTONPD. O.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIo ELI REES, 0F MERGED, CALIFORNIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHOE-FASTENINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 201,124, dated March 12, 1878 application filed June 11, 1877.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ELI REEs, of the villag of Merced, in the State of California, have in vented a new and Improved Mode of Shoe- Fastening; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part hereof. I

The nature of my invention consists in a simple arrangement, as seen in Figure 1, designed to facilitate the labor of placing shoes on and taking them oif the feet. 7

It consists in the long arms A and B, and short arms M N, Fig. 1, with their attachments.

0 is a rivet fastening the lower ends of M and N, which also acts as a pivot, on which M and N revolve as they are opened and closed. 0 also connects M and N with the spur-piece of the heel of the shoe.

D D are joints in the device, for the purpose of opening its lower part, so that the foot may more easily pass into the shoe through the opening made by spreading apart the arms A and B and M and N.

E E are two similar bars, fastened to the arm A and bent across the face of the same, leaving a space between E E and A, corresponding to the thickness of arm B, so that B is held firmly in its place between A and E E, and can only pass in and out on the dotted line F.

G G are caps placed on the outer surface of arm B, to hold A and B more firmly together by means of the parts E E. G G prevent the parts E E from being seen when A and B are folded together, or the shoe closed.

H is a lock, for the purpose of fastening the arms A and B. It prevents B from passing out on the dotted line F. It consists in the parts I, J, K, and L.

I is a bar, the same as E E, placed on arm A. J is a small bolt on arm B, perpendicular to a notch in I, and being beveled, the bar I, in passing to its place, presses the bolt J upward until the notch in I receives the bolt J, thus locking A and B, which fastens the shoe. K is a spring, which presses the bolt J into the notch in I. L is a knob on bolt J, which, being pressed upward, forces J out of the notch in I, thus unlocking the arms A B, which unfastens the shoe.

His a self-lock, which fastens, of its own accord, the arms A and B when pressed together.

The latchet is placed at the heel; but by some modification it may be placed at other parts of the shoe.

Generally the heel seam of the shoe gives way first. The latchet supports this part, and thus adds to the durability of the shoe.

While the latchet is flexible, and yields to any motion of the foot, it stays the leg of the shoe.

By a slight modification of the part H, the latchet may be locked by means of more bars than one on the arm A, as the part I and the upper bar E. 4

' I claim- The shoe-fastener consisting of the long arms A B and the short arms M N, pivoted together at D D (J, and provided with the fastening devices shown and described.

ELI REES.

Witnesses S. TAYLOR, A. H. DAUGHY. 

